On February 6, 2018, Chief Judge Karon O. Bowdre of the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama issued a 25-page opinion declaring thatÂ “based on the record as it currently exists, Mr. Hamm has shown a substantial likelihood of success on the merits, and the court finds that the execution date must be stayed pending an independent medical examination of Mr. Hamm.” The full opinion is here: